The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-02-28
A WILD FAMILY.
CURIOUS DISCOVERY MADE AMONG
THE BLUE RIDGE Businesses.

Lebanon County, Pa.-A Pathetic Incl
dent-The ForsaIen Cabin.
We all took station at little distance from
the rickety structure called their home, and
awaited developments. Presently one of the
female creatures ventured shyly to the open
ing styled the door The other timidly leaned
forward upon her hands and knees and
stretched her head from the side. They
looked wild and rude, indeed ard as much
excited over our presence as If the steps Of
civilized beings had never before been heard
by them The one standing had eyes glisten-
ing black and rolling in quick, restless mo-
ton, fixed upon the group like two fiery
Goals. She darted glances as if on the alert
for the least doubtful movement of her visi-
tors. Her hair Of raven darkness stood on
end, very like the jumbled mass Of a wheat
sheaf Never such luxury as a comb had
been used upon it. Her mouth was thickset,
with strong, broad teeth showing promi-
nently between parted lips Her complexion
was sallow, with a neck tufted with large,
brown-coated golfers The other wild crea-
ture was somewhat Of different mold. Her
hair was light and strangely matted, over
cast with mixture of tints-brown. gray
and yellow-caused by the exposure to the
sun. Her eyes were blue and deeply retired,
giving the expression of a haunted, fright
euod and saddened soul. These were sisters,
and rudely put together They had no pro-
lection for their head nor any for their feet.
Their arms were bare and brown and hands
coarse veined, with finger nails protruding
like claws of wild beasts.
A COARSE WILD MAN.
AS this mutual inspection of awakened
curiosity and fright was exercised before the
hut, strange, wild figure was observed Iurk-
ing in the distance. He trailed his course
i'm, nj
tree By the evident emotion of assurance
the two sisters expressed over his approach,
we concluded this to be their brother Of
whom we had heard. Our guide beckoned to
him and the men went out to meet him. It
required special tactics to bring him into con-
fdence. He awaited his fate, standing in
brute stupidity. He was tall and heavily set.
His face was habby and sparsely covered
with whiskers. His eyes bulged out in bull
dog dizziness; his forehead retreated, as evinc-
ing the idiot, which he was His hair was
whirlwind of confusion and his skin, in every
part of his exposed body, tinged with the
life color of the hardy n1ountaineer. He bore
with him some tokens of civilized contact,
for he had an old "flint-lock" over his shout
der and some game a spit, which he was
about carrying home from his days exploit
He was put together with an apology of dress
not much unlike that of old Rip when
awakening from his long sleep. We coaxed
him to his haunts, where we found that the
ladies had fully ingratiated themselves with
the wild sisters.
Our captives were never quite at ease, and
only with repeated signs of amity and good
will were we able to draw answers from them
Their speech was a yernacular quite their own,
and yet with enough Pennsylvania Dutch in
terSperSed to understand the bearings of their
answers. They spoke in doleful tones, with
eyes cast to the ground, and their words came
like the slow drOppings of water from the
caves of a roof. We described many of the
most ordinary things in civilized life, but
they shook their heads and declared they had
never seen nor heard of them We inquired
into their family history. They were able to
tell us their names but not their ages. Ben
nivell was the name of the brother, who lifted
his eyes inquiringly to his sister as she men
toned it. We judged his age to be about so
years Hannah was the name of the dark
female, aged about So years. and Mary the
name of the light cOmplexiOned, aged about
A years. There were five members in thu
family, the parents having died some years
ago.
TO THE OLD HOME.
Hannah led the way to the old home. 1t
was but a short distance from the present
site, and concealed entirely behind thick
growth of large and small trees. 1t was the
simplest structure imaginable, rising to the
height of a man, and in proportion about
fifteen by twelve feet. 1t had the shape of
Old-fashiOned bakeOven, overgrOwn with
moses and thickets in wild profusion 1t was
plastered on the inside with clay, which had
hardened with time like rock. There was no
window within, no opening of any kind to
the dark governed hut. save the front aper-
ture known as the door Nor did we enter
That was a sacred threshold to these untu-
tOred and unchristianized beings. Hannah's
sense Of the holy would have been outraged
had ever any human foot ventured upon that
floor. Her parents died there, and well does
she remember the dark days in their history
when they carried mother and their father
into the valley below. Even in the savage
breast can be found the beatings of love and
the deep seated instinct of reverence.
In that hut lived the Laub family during
many winters. Since the day the aged par
ents were carried out, dead, Bennivell,
Hannah and Mary never entered again to
abide there They declared to us their fear
that the spirits of the dead might come back
again. A strange tinge of the superstitious
entered into their nature. rudely con-
structed barrel had somehow found its way
hither, into which they pressed the juice of
wild fruit to make a drink we style
vinegar. Upon its head was affixed an up
right stick, with apples fastened in the shape
of q cross. "That," said Hannah "is to keep
out the witches" Dried bones of certain
--2thel. # L:rds, and elongated skeletons of
snakes and r00ts of rare plants were strung
upon tleir hickory whips as charms against
the ev spirits of the mountain caverns, and
these were the only adornments of their pres
eut home.
II was minated that these wild people had
never baf1rc i1~4rd music. After our re-
turn e. quaint plantation song soon filed the
roof OF their hut. Never did the harmony of
music fan 50 strangely upon ears as here.
The soprano alto, tenor and basso flowed ont
upon those woods in weird-like tones In the
midst o. our s1ng Hannah pleaded with us TO
s.r os she pointed to the timid Mary,
...-Hla n ony within the fireplace Her
lI.= were partly covered by her
...at ..T rown forward, and she looked
out at us in melting sadness. She interceded:
"Sing nOt-singing makes people diel" We
left. Hannah looked the picture of great re-
lief as she watched uSfrom the hut making
our downward retreat. The poor children of
the forest! but, thanks, they, too, are blessed
with a measure of happiness. yerstown
(Pa.) Cor. Philadelphia Times